Endless Nights
by Prince Metternich
Summary: As the living population continues to diminish, a man struggles to retain his sanity and his life.
1. Prologue

Hello everybody. This is just the prologue of my story that I am writing. I will hopefully publish the next chapter by the end of the week. I welcome constructive criticism and thank you for reading.

Prologue

Without sleep a man goes crazy. Luckily for me, everyone's already crazy. I haven't slept for more than an hour for months. I'd lie in bed, afraid to close my eyes. Afraid to let my guard down. When I did manage to close my eyes and doze off, I couldn't stop picturing all the dead. Family, friends, all gone. I couldn't do it without waking up and feeling like ending it. So now I don't sleep. I try not to think as well. I try not to focus on anything or remember anything. It makes life simple. It makes life easy. It makes the time go by faster. I don't know what's ahead of me, but I'm waiting for it. Waiting for something. Watching the time pass. Wishing it would speed up. I feel like I did as a child, waiting for the school bell to ring. When the bell would ring, I would be free and I would go home. The only problem, I don't know what will happen when the bell rings.

I don't think about the past, too sad. It's depressing. I don't think about the future either. There's no point to it. Just getting your hopes up when you know there is none. At first, everyone turned to God for hope. Even the ones who just a few weeks earlier would have sworn that He didn't exist. When faced with certain destruction, everyone looks to the higher power. It's so hypocritical, so human. After a few months, most people gave up, realizing God had abandoned them. I kept on believing. Hoping, praying, living. I thought that, if you had faith, it couldn't hurt and if He did exist, you'd win in the end. But if you don't believe, and He doesn't exist, you gain nothing. So you might as well believe.

Later I realized something, having faith hurts.

All I'm left with to think about unfortunately is the present. And that's the worst. The present has past from the realm of the living, to that of the dead. After about six months, there were more people dead then living. I live in a dead world, a Godless world. It was as if the planet itself died. Walking down a lifeless road, I heard nothing. Once bustling with people, busy with their life, now completely empty. Silence took on a whole new meaning that day.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One:

Endless Nights

After my wife passed, I did what was necessary and buried her in the yard. I curse that day. After the burial, I went up to my room and collapsed. I stayed in my room for days straight. I cried until I couldn't cry any longer. I don't even remember that day anymore. My memories have gone blank. After that day, I gave up counting the days. I just waited for them to pass.

I hate that grave. The wooden cross ominously perched over that dirt mound. It teases me, mocks me. Every time I see it I feel more and more lost. I could see the cross from my bedroom window. I knew it was there but I tried to ignore it. It beckoned to me. During the many endless nights I sat on that bed alone, every night, I would go to the window, and feel the pain.

I took a deep breath. I rested my finger on the trigger. In my sights was a creeper, slowly limping towards my house. He looked confused, like a lost child, looking for his parents. I hated them, but I also pitied them in a way. I squeezed the trigger. The creeper fell like a stone. I pulled away from the window. A chilling breezed rolled in. I quickly closed the window. I leaned the rifle against the wall. My father was in the army during the first Gulf War. He always kept a rifle in the house. He was killed in a helicopter crash outside Baghdad. His death ruined my family.

I was so tired. I got up and walked away from the window. I went to the door and opened it. I wandered down the hall and went downstairs. The house was so empty. The emptiness was devouring. I hadn't spoke to anyone since my wife died. After she passed I just stopped talking. I had no one or nothing to talk to. I stepped into the kitchen. Moonlight shined through the window, illuminating the room. I walked over to the counter and grabbed a glass. I stumbled over to the cabinet and withdrew a bottle of vodka. I went into the living room and threw myself onto the couch. I poured myself a drink. I leaned back and took a sip. Bitter. I closed my eyes. I exhaled and relaxed. My mind was wandering. I began to think about T.V. shows that used to be own at this time of night. Mostly crap shows. I missed those crap shows. Anything that could pass the time. I missed everything.

I leaned back and closed my eyes.


End file.
